About “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)”

Adele played guitar on the record, and it was this riff that began the song. She told the New York Times:

I’ve had that guitar bass line since I was, like, 15. I used to cover ‘Wonderful World’ doing that riff. It sings over it really well. With [the producers] Max Martin and Shellback, we knocked that out in a day.

This is a more upbeat, straight-pop record for Adele, which makes sense considering the super producers behind the sound. Prior to this record, however, Adele hadn’t heard of Max Martin or Shellback. It was listening to Taylor Swift with songwriter Ryan Tedder that led her to discover their prominence in the pop landscape.

This song was originally titled “We Ain’t Kids No More,” but at the last minute, at the encouragement of her manager, Adele decided to change it. She told Rolling Stone:

Otherwise, you might as well just call the fucking album Old.

(Given that a lot of the songs on this album are about nostalgia for childhood and the past.)

The song is directed toward the guy Adele dated between the subject of much of 21, and her husband, Simon Konecki. He previously inspired one other track, “One and Only”.

What have the artists said about the song?

I was in New York, writing “Remedy” with Ryan Tedder. We were having lunch, and “[I Knew You Were] Trouble” came on the radio — Taylor’s song that she did with Max and Shellback. I was like, “Who did this?” I knew it was Taylor, and I’ve always loved her, but this is a totally other side — like, “I want to know who like brought that out in her.” And he said Max Martin. I was unaware that I knew who Max Martin was. I Googled him, and I was like, “He’s literally written every massive soundtrack of my life.”

So I got my management to reach out. They came to London, and I took my guitar along and was like, “I’ve got this riff,” and then “Send My Love” happened really quickly.

Did this really happen?

Yes. Adele has spoken on numerous occasions that this song was inspired by the very much real life guy she dated in between the subject of 21 and her now-husband, Simon.